Barber&#39;s chair.



W. F. KOKEN.

BARBEB'S CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12.-1915-.

Patented Oct. 2,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I,

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W, F. KOKEN.

BARBERS CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12. 1915. 1,242,109. Patented -0ct, 2,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- If 'a' W. F. KOKEN.

BARBERS CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1915.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

4SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W. F. K-OKEN.

BARBER'S CHAIR.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. I2. 1915.

Lzam e Patented Oct. 2,1917.

4 SHEETSSBEET 4.

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WALTER'F. KOKEN, or sr. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 'IQ Ronni: BARBERS SUPPLY .COMPANY, or sit. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION or MISSOURI. I

BARBERS CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Ifatent. P t nt d (Mat. 2, 1917.

Applieation filed March 12, 1915. Serial 110.14.,043.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER F. KOKEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Barbers Chairs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such aswill enable others skilled in the art tovwhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to adjustable chairs of the type that are used by barbers, dentists and other specialists and which comprise a vertically adjustable seat that can 7 be raised and lowered."

One object of my presentinvention is to provide a chair of the general type mentioned, in which the seat is moved positively, both upwardly and downwardly,,by means of a member which is actuated by an elecsign, in which the devices for controlling,

trically-operated mechanism.

Another objectis to provide a chair of the character just referredto, whlch is so designed that the seat can be stopped at.

any point within its limit of movement during the operation of raising or lowering the seat.

Another object is to provide-an eleotrically-operated barbers chair of novel dothe yertical adjustment of the seat are carried by a hand lever that controls the reclining bar clamp and also the locking de vice that holds the seat against rotary movement. Another ob ect is to provlde an electrically-operated chair which comprises means 7 ing the seat, the chair being so designed that friction in the operating mechanism and side thrusts on the raising and lowering screw are reduced to a minimum. Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical sectional view of' a chair-operating mechacated by broken lines in Fig. 1.

nism constructed in accordance with my inventlon that is particularly adapted for barbers chairs, the seat and seat frame of the chair being shown in broken lines.

lug.- 2 1s a vertical sectional view taken 'on-the line 2 f Fig. 1.

-Fig. 3 'is a side elevational view, taken on the line 3+3of Fig. 1, illustrating certain parts of the mechanism for locking the seat of the chair against rotarymove ment. i

F g. 4: 1s a horizontal sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. r

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 2. v

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view. of the operating mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1. v

Fig. '8 is a-vertical sectional View taken on the line 88 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a. verticalsectional view taken on the line 99 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 1010 of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is avertical sectional view taken on the line 1111 of Fig. 9; and i Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view, illustrat- 'ing the electrical connections between the pole-changing switch, the motor and the cooperating conductor bars,"contact ringsand brushes that bear upon the contact rings.

Referring to the drawing which trate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the standard of my improved chair, which consists of a vertically disposed, tubular-shaped member open at its upper end and provided with an internally screw-threaded portion 1 that receives an operating screw 2 which is rotatably mounted in a hollow stem B that surrounds the standard A, said standard A being carmounted on the stem B, and an electrically- V operated mechanism hereinafter described is employed for rotating the operating screw 2 in one direction .so as to raise said seat frame and for rotating said screw in the opposite direction so as to lower the seat frame. The stem B slides vertically on the standard A, and at the upper end of said stem is a vertically-disposed, tubular-shaped 11o bearing 3 in which a non-threaded portion 'of theoperating screw 2 is journaled, as shown in B 1g. 1. The member C or" the seat frame has portion that surrounds the hearing 3 on the stem and also a portion that surrounds a llOllZOIltLllY-CllSPOSGCl flange d V o: the stem B which sustains the weight of;

the seat frame. he weight or load on the stem B is sustained er-carriedby-the operating screw 2 and the weight or load on said op erating j screw is sustained or carried by the cooperating screw threads on the screw 2 and on the nternally screw threaded portion 1 of the standard A. in order: to reduce the friction between the yarious cooperatlng members ust described 1 arrange 'a'thrust bearing "between a, horizontallydis dosed iian 'eb on the oje'r'atin screw 2 i a v i l b and an oppositely disposed bearing surface on the stem B, and i also arrange a thrust-'- bearing 7 between the member C and the ilaii'ge at the upper'end of the stem By constructing the chair in this-manner l'lR- "sure a free movement of the operating screw and also free rotary movement of-the member C that carries the seat frame.

, desired, the flange son the operating screw can be provided on its underside with a tapered portion 6, shown in Fig. 1, that fits I [the standard in a tapered seat 6 in the upper end of the standard A when the'seat or the chair 15 in its "lowest position,'thus relieving the strain onthe cooperating threads on the screw 2 and on the Internally screw-tnreaded portion of the standard A. The-stem B rec1pro'cates longitudinally of thestanda'rd A,

but it is prevented from rotating relatively to" said standard by means of one or more blocksor otherfsuitrtblede does 8 onthe standard A that 'progect laterally through vertically-disposed elon-gated slets Q'in the stem'B.

n ected to the upper end of the operating screw 2, as shown 1n l, the teeth'on said worm gear and the cooperatingthreadson the worm 10 being of such pitch that the' wormlO can'turn freely, or, mother words,

travel around the periphery of theworm gearl3 when the member C is rotated, without causing the operating" screw 2 to turn in the electric motor D is connected to the underside of a laterally projecting extension l on a 'horizontally-disposed flange lt at the upper end of the'member C, and thrust bearings 11 are combined with the shaft 11 to take up the end thrusts on the worm 10.

' When the motor Drums in one direction when said fnot been illustrated in hedrawi are of' stai'idard const ict1-on,'said back and apron beingheld in'ad u'sted position by In the chairherein shown the operating screw 2 will cause the seat frame of the chair to move upwardly, and 7 motor turns .in the OPPOSIJGdlrectronsaid operating screw' will cause the seat frame to move downwardly, thus provldlng an electrically-drlven means for raising the seat of the chair positively-both upwardly and downwardly and also "en abhng the seat to be stopped at any point intermediate its highest and lowest position by simply stoppingthe motor D. The hollow's'tem B- formsa housn'i thatin'cases the s eeding screw when the s'eatof the'fchair s 1n 1JL'S ele'yated position, and attimes sa1d 1 stem 'cooperates'wrth the-standard 'A to educe the si'de thrusts "on" the operating back' and as adjustable apron which have igs, 'as they means "of a reclining ear iii-that passes between clamplng plates '16 whlclr arepre'rerablyol similarfd'esignfito the clamp -illustratedin U. 'S. Patent-- h'954 ,524 to E. E. Koken, dated'iipril'12, 1910. Said clamping plates 16' are'rendered inoperatiye'so as torelease the reclining barl by means of a horizontally-disposed shaft 17 that; 1s

mounted in the member C and which is proided" at its outer fend with "a controlling handle or lever E. When said handle E is "movedinone direction away from its-normal neutral'pos ition the-recliningbar 15 will be released, thereby enabling the back "andthe apron of the chair to be adjusted, and when said cont-rolling handle"E 1s moved "in the opposite -direction away from itsfneutral position, alocking device that holds the seat frame of thechair against r0- tary moyenient will be rendered inoperative.- ihe lacking deviceor the chair herein illustrated, which prevents the seat frame from rotatingfis of novel construction and consists of a segmental clamping shoe 18in the member C'that bears against the peripheryot the flange on the stem, as shown in Figs. 1 and-d. Said'clamping' shoe 18 is moved horizontally into and out of engagea ment walrthe stenrBby means'or" abori- Zontally-disposed screw 19 mounted in an internally screw-threaded bearing 20 at. the lower end of the member G and haying its inner end swiveled in the clamping shoe 18 A'leyer 21, which is adjustably connected to a screw-threadedextension 1,9 on the screw 19 by m'eans of two locknuts 22 arranged on opposite-sides of said lever, cooperates i v'ith adepending arm 23 on theshatt 17 to turn the screw l9'in such a directionfthat theclampingshoe "18 willbemov'ed out of engagement with i the stem' B. When the shaftl'ijis restored to its normal neutral position a spring'fi that is connected tetheupper end of the lever 21 will turn the screw 19 in the opposite direction, or, in other enabling the clamping shoe to be adjusted to compensate for wear. A stationary stop '25that cooperates with two lugs 26 on the upper end of the arm 23, as shown in Fig. 3, limits the movement of the shaft 17 in both directions when saidshaft 17 is actuated to release the reclining bar clamping plates and to release the shoe 18 that holds the seat of the chair against rotary movement. v

The electric current that energizes the motor D is controlled by a pole-changing switch which is preferably arranged in the handle E so as to enable all of the adjust ments or movements of the chair to be controlled easily from a single point by one hand of the person in charge of the chair.

. The conductors of thesupply circuit lead to 7 binding posts that aremounted 011 the standard A of the chair and which are provided with contacts that bear against vertically- .tllSPOSECl conductor bars carried by the vertically adjustable stem'B of the chair. Each ,of said conductor bars is electrically con nected at its upper end to a contact ring mounted on the stem 13,; and'the member C on the seat frame of the chair which rev volves about the stem B is provided with to the motor D and to the pole-changing switch in the handleE, and flexible conductors also lead directly fromthe motor to said pole-changing switch. The chair is preferably so designed that the supply of electric current will be cut off automatically when the seat frame reaches its upper and lower limits of movement by means of current-interrupting insulators on the vertically-disposed conductor bars on the stem 13 of the chain In order that the motor D may be started without first shifting the position of the current-interrupting insulator that caused the current to be cut off automati cally, I have split one side of the supply circuit into two parts, each of which cooperates with a separate set of conductor bars,

contact rings and brushes, and have arinsulators, by simply actuating the polechanging switch in the handle E. Asshown,

in Fig. 8, the positive'side of the supply circuit is connected by means of a flexible conductor 27 to a binding post 28 carried by a segmental-shaped bracket'29 that issecured to one of the laterally-projecting guide blocks 8 on the standard A of the chair, as shown in Fig. 5. The negative side of the supply circuit is split and is connected,- by

' means of two flexible conductors 30 and'30f with binding posts 31 and 3.1 respectively, on the bracket .29. The binding posts 28,

3'1 and 3,1are provided with contacts that bear upon vertically-disposed conductor bars 32, 33 and 33 respectively, carried byth'e "stem B and having their upper ends securely connected to contact rings 34, :35 and 35*, re spectively, that are embedded in strips of insulating material connected to the stem .13 at a point just below the horizontally-dis posed'flange 4 adjacent the upper end of said'stem. Three brushes 36,37 and 37 which bear upon the contact rings 34,35 and 35 respectively, as. shown in Figs. 2

" and 6, areconnected to the memberC of the seat frame in such a mannerjthat they will travel over said contact rings when the seat ofthe chair is revolved. In the chair herein shown said brushes are, carried by a plate 38 that 1s carried by and which projects downwardly from the lower end of the member 1 is connected by means, of flexible conductor 39 to the armature of themotor D, and the two negative brushes 37 and 37 of the supply circuit are connected by. means of flexible conductors 40 and -40 to thepolechangingswitch in the handle E of the chair. If desired, a. housing 41 can be mounted on the lower end of the member C, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to protect the contact rings, thebrushes and the binding posts on said brushes just referred to.

The pole-changing switch mounted in the handle E of the chair is of novel design and consists of a rockable member F having a vertically-disposed shank whichis provided at its lower end with a cross piece 42 which carries two negative contacts 43 and 43 and a positive contact 44. A positive con-V ductor 39 which leads from the armature of the motor is 'connected'to the positive Contact 44 of the switcln'as shown in Fig. 12,

and the two negative conductors 40 and 40 are connected to the negative contacts 43 and 43, respectively, of said switch. Said switch comprises four stationary contacts designated by the reference characters 45,

46, 47 and48, which are so arranged with relation-torthe movable member F-of the switc'hthat the positive contact 44 and the negative contact 43 on said member F will respectively,when said member F is in one position, andthe positive contact 44L: and

negative Contact 43 on said member-will engagethe stationary contacts 45- and 46,

- is pivotally mounted in such a manner that the cross piece 42 at the lower end of its shank will be positioned intermediate the portions of the stationary member G that carry thecontacts d5, 46, 4-7 and 48, when respectively,"when said member'F is in-eits otherposition. One end of-the field of the p 7 motor D 18 connected by means or a con.

ductor i9to the stationary contacts 46 and this purpose consists of a current-interrupt- :ing insulator 53- arrcnged at the lower end of the conductorbar-33 and similar insulator 53 arranged at the upper end of the condugtor bar 33.

W hen the contact t tear upon the conductor bar .33 es the insulator 53 din-mg the downiiiai'd movement of the Beat, the circuit 4-8 of the switch and the other end of said field is connected by means of a conductor 49 to the stationary contacts .45 and 47 of of said switch, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 12. The stationary contacts 45,46, T57 and 48 are carried by a forked supporting member G onwhichthe movable member F the member F is in its neutral position, as

"shown in Fig. 9. The supporting member Got the switchis arranged inside of a housmg 50 at the upper end of the handle E, and the movable member F 1s provlded with two operating buttons 51 and 51 that are arranged on opposite sides of the axis of os cillation of the member F and whichproj ect upwardly through openings in the top wall of the housing 50' as shown 'in F i 9..

- Coiled springs 52 that surround saidoperat- I the top wall of the housing 50 and the porv ing buttons and which are arranged between tion or the member F that carries said but tons operate to normally hold the member F in its neutral position shown in Figs. 9 and 12. When the button 51 is-depressed the motor I) will operate in the direction tov cause the operating screw 2 to move the ton 51 seat frame of the chair upwardly, the seat frame coming to rest as soon as the operator releases the button 51. If it is desired to lowerthe seat of the chair the operator de presses the button 51 thereby causing the motor 1) to rotate in the opposite direction A andcause the operating screw 2 to move the seat frame downwardly, the seat coming to r st as soon as the operator releases the but of the chair can be stopped at any point intermediate its highest and lowest positions during the operation of raising-or lowering the seat, by. simply releasing the button that was depressed to cause the motor D tooperate. In order thattheseat of the chair will come torest automatically when it reaches its extreme upper or lower position, I have provided means for automatically cutting off the supply of current that energizes the motor D when the seat reaches its highest or lowest position, incase the person in' charge of the chair fails to release the controlling button after the seat has reached its eX- 'treme limit of 'movement in either direction. iThemeans that I- prefer $011186 for It will thus be seen that the seat thatsenergizes the motor D will beopened automatically, and thus cause the motor and the operating screw 2 to come to rest. branch oi the negative side oi the supply One circuit is broken or out of service when the rout-act that cooperates with the conductorbar 33 is in engagement withthe currentinterrupting insulator 53, but the other branch oft-he negative side of said supply circuit is in operative condition, owing to the fact that thecontact that cooperates with the conductor bar 88 is then in engage. ment wlth said bar.

Consequently, when the operator depresses the button 51 the c1rcuit that energizes the motor 1) will be closed and the seat frame will start'to move up- :wardly. When the seat frame reaches its upper limit of movement the contact that cooperates with the conductor bar 83 will on gage the current-interrupting insulator 53, and thus-automatically break or open the supply circuit.

In a chair or the construction above described the seat frame is moved positively,

both upwardly and downwardly, by 'means of a screw 2 or other suitable operating device that is actuated or driven by an electrio motor. The seat can be stopped at any point between its extreme upper-and lower limits of movement by simply releasingthe controlling button that was depressed to causethe seat to move, and in view of the fact that the seat starts to move as soon as one or the other of the controlling buttons and causes the stem B to be released from the clamping shoe 18 when said handle is moved in the other direction. The motor 1) is mounted on the seat frame of the chair and the various conducting members that are interposed between the switch and motor and the main supply conductors are so arranged that the seat can be raised and lowered and also revolved without liability of any of said conducting members becoming tangled, broken 'or rendered inoperative.

The :fact that the chair is provided with imeans for automatlcally breaking the sup- All of the movements of the chair ply circuit, in case a careless operator fails to actuate the controlling switch properly, eliminates the possibility of the operating mechanism becoming broken or injured by reason of inattention on the part of the operator whenthe seat is being raised or lowered; and still another desirable feature of such a chair is that the cooperating parts engagement with the stem B of the chair bymeans of an oscillating screw. Furthermore, said locking mechanism is so designed that it can be adjusted to compensate for wear on the clamping shoe or on the stem of the chair. While I have" illustrated this improved locking device in combination with an electrically operated chair that come prises a screw for raising and lowering the seat, I wish it to be understood that said locking device is applicable to various other types of barbers chairs and is not limited to use with a chair of the particular construction herein illustrated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is: 7

1. A chair, comprising a hollow standard provided with an internally screw-threaded part, an operating screw mounted in said part, a hollow stem snugly embracing said standard and supported by said screw, a load supporting member revolubly. mounted on said stem and having a'hollow portion that acts as a housing, mechanism arranged inside of said housing for rotating said screw, and a motor suspended from said load-supporting member for operating said mechanism.

2. A chair of the character described, provided with a standard, a stem that snugly surrounds said standard, an operating screw sustained by said standard and journaled in said stem, an end thrust bearing interposed between cooperating horizontallydisposed surfaces on said screw and stem, a seat frame provided with a hollow member that is revolubly mounted on said stem, an end thrust bearing interposed between said revoluble member and said stem for reducing the friction between said parts, an electric motor suspended from a laterally-projecting portion on said hollow member, and means arranged inside of said hollow member and operatively connected to said motor for driving'said screw.

it A their, eomprising a hellow stands ard provided with a screw-threaded portion, an operating screw mounted in said part and provided at its upper end with a non-threaded portion and a flange, a hol--. low stem snugly embracing said standard and sustained bysaid flange, a load-supportingi member revolubly mounted on said' stem and provided with an opening through which the upper portion of said stem passes, mechanism arranged inside of said loadsupporting member for actuating said screw, and a motor carried by said load-supporting member for operating said mechanism.

4. A barbers chair, comprising a vertically adjustable cylindrical part, a member on the seat frame ofthe chair that is revolubly mounted on said part, a segmental clamping shoe on said member that bears: against said cylindrical-shaped part and thus holds the seat frame against rotary, movement, a screw-threaded device arranged in a screw-thread on said member for moving saidclamping shoe into and out of operative position, a resilient means for turning said device in one direction, and a manually-operated means for turning said device in the opposite direction.

5. A barbers chair, comprising a verti-- cally adjustable part having a circular shaped portion, a member on the seat frame of the chair that is revolubly mounted on the top face of said portion, a clamping shoe on said member that bears against the edge of said circular-shaped portion and thus holds the seat frame against rotary move ment, a screw-threaded device mounted in an internally screw-threaded hole in said member for moving said clamping shoe into and out of operative position, a resilient means which normally holds said device in such a position that said clamping shoe is pressed ti htly against the part with which it cotiperates, and an independent means for actuating said device so as to release the clamping shoe.

6; A barbers chair, comprising a vertically adjustable part, a member on the seat frame of the chair that is revolubly mounted on said part, a segmental clamping shoe on said member that bears against a cylindrical shaped portion on said part and thusholds the seat frame against rotary movement, a screwthreaded device in said member for moving said clamping shoe into and out of operative position, a lever connected to said device, a manually operated. rock shaft mounted in said member and pro vided with a part that engages said lever so as to turn said device in one direction, and means connected to said lever for restoring said device to its former position when said rock shaft is restored. j

7. A barbers chair provided with a standard, a stem reciprocatmgly mounted on said standard, a seat provided with a memsaid stem on which said contacts slide, con

tact rings connected to said conductor bars, brushes on said seat frame member that travel on said-contact rings, and conductors leading fromsaid brushes to said motor.

8. A barbers'chair provided with a standard, astem reciprocatingly mounted on said standard, a seat frame provided With a member that'is 'revolubly mounted on said stem; an operating screw combined With said stem and passing through an internally screW-threaded part in said standard, an electric-motor, an operating mechanism on the-seat frame for'actuatingsaid screw, a bracket on saidstandard provided With'con taets to which supply conductors are con nected, vertically-disposed conductor bars on said stem on which said contacts slide,

contact rings connected to said conductor bars, brushes on said seat frame member thattravel on said contact rings, conductors leading from said brushes to said motor, the 7 negative side of the supply circuit being split and each branch of same being con nected to aseparate contact that cooperates with an independent conductor bar, currentlnterruptlng insulators 1n the conductor bars on the negative side of the supply cirs cult, and pole-changing switch for controlling the current that energizes said motor. 7

In testimony whereof "I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of tWO' Witnesses, this 8th day ofMarch, 1915.

' WALTER r. KOKEN.

Witnesses:

EDGARVV. MEIER, LEWIS E. Moore.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for -five'cents eachybyaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0? 

